Angel
by Juniper11
Summary: They arrive the day aliens attack and help the Avengers fight back the hoard. No one particularly likes the way Byakuya treats Sakura. Sakura wonders what's wrong with all of them. *Marvelous Sakura Series* Bleach Crossover


**Steve**

The man's relationship with Sakura makes him seriously uncomfortable. She follows him around like a puppy begging for attention from its master. He ignores her existence entirely. She seems to be entirely dependent upon the man, but she doesn't have to be. Steve has seen her in battle. He knows that she can handle her own. She doesn't _need_ this man who treats her like she is so little.

She's full of sunny smiles and laughter, and the man is…not. She deserves more. He tells her so.

It's early in the morning, and the sun has not yet risen. He was up to do his morning run, but he finds her in the common room staring out of the window longingly.

She hears him enter the room and turns her head slightly and says, "Good morning, Steve."

His breath hitches because it is the first time that he can recall that she hasn't smiled at him. He blurts it out before he can even think it through because he _knows_ she's sad because of _him_.

"He doesn't deserve you."

She's startled. Steve can tell because her eyes become impossibly large. She shakes her head confused for a moment before she finally understands what he's saying. She moves closer to him and stares up at his face for a long moment before she reaches out. Sakura places a hand on his arm and squeezes gently.

"I'm happy Steve."

"Are you?" He counters because he doesn't believe her.

"What would be the point in lying?"

"You protect him. That's all you've ever done since you've been here."

"Hmm," Sakura said thoughtfully. "Steve, you worry over nothing. I do not know how to assure you of this. I will thank you though because I know if I need you, I can depend on you. But I don't Steve. I'm fine. Enjoy your run."

Steve doesn't know what else to say, and Sakura turns her back on him and returns to the window staring out at the slowly brightening sky. Before he leaves, he sees Tony join her.

 **Bruce**

She's not afraid of him. It's the first thing that Bruce realizes about Sakura. The scientist doesn't remark upon it. In fact, he marvels at it. The only person he knew that wasn't afraid of him was Tony and Tony is slightly mad.

He realizes that when she blatantly argues with him about leaving.

"Why?" She demands, and Bruce wonders why he mentioned it to her in the first place. She has a hot temper. He's seen the way Sakura argues with Tony. He knows how passionate she is when she takes up a cause.

"I'm a danger to people, and I just want to be left alone."

Sakura scoffs. "Every person in this world is dangerous."

"Not as much as I am."

Sakura walks up to him and pokes him in the chest. There's force behind it. He knows she's strong. He also knows she's trying to provoke him, so he remains calm.

"I don't get your point."

"Sakura, all it takes is for me to lose control just _once_ and I could kill you all. It's not worth it."

"So, what? You cut and run? Bruce, you don't even understand what it's like to be alone and isolated from civilization. It will drive you mad. I wouldn't wish that burden on my greatest enemy."

Bruce frowns puzzling out her words. "You've isolated yourself before? I thought you were always with—"

"No. We have not always been together. I have spent plenty of time not at his side. It was not a happy period of my life Bruce. In fact, I would say it was the darkest period of my life. I know you want to run. I know you think you can handle this better on your own without fear of hurting anyone." Sakura shook her head. "There are many types of hurt, Bruce."

He knows what she means, but it was better to be alive and hurt emotionally than to be dead and feel nothing.

"If you leave now you'll regret not giving us, and yourself, a chance. But if you decide to go, I won't stop you, and I won't tell the others. It's your decision."

She left him alone. It's quiet when she's gone. He hadn't realized how her background chatter was somewhat soothing.

Bruce stays, and he sees his good friend falling for her fast and hard.

 **Clint**

Clint thinks he's the only one on his team that saw how Sakura and her companion arrived on the scene of their battle with the Chitauri. Sometimes he still can't believe it. It was a surreal moment, but since he had become an Avenger, he's seen enough to make moments like that rare.

Clint sees him first. His hair is dark and blows in the wind as he moves forward. The man looks bored in the middle of an invasion. He hears Steve yelling and telling them to evacuate the civilian but when he pulls out a sword and Clint almost laughs, but he doesn't because he's the one using a bow and arrow. He probably shouldn't throw stones. Still, the guy was going to get himself killed.

Clint saw his lips move and could decipher he said the words, "Scatter," and something else, when large swords erupted from the ground.

"Holy shit!" Clint exclaimed. "Cap we got a problem here."

"What is it Hawkeye?"

Before Clint could state the problem, the swords became flowers and flew up in the air rushing closer to the nearest Chitauri.

"Hawkeye!"

"One sec, Cap. I think—" Clint watches as the flowers tore through the nearest Chitauri obliterating it so that nothing remained. "Oh shit!"

"Status Hawkeye!"

"I'm fine. I think we have a new ally."

"You think, or you know?"

"Well, we're all still alive, aren't we?"

Clint watched as the flowers floated down to the ground before the man and began forming a shape of a small woman. Her hair is short and pink and fell forward as she bows at the waist to the man before her. Clint doesn't realize the man is talking to the woman, but she suddenly straightens, turns, and looks in his direction. A white mask hid her face. One side of the mask was entirely white while on the opposite side was covered in an intricate red design. Before Clint could take in any more details, she disappeared.

Clint sensed that she was directly behind him. He turned his bow and arrow at the ready, to see her taking out an alien behind him. He barely had time to say thanks before she was gone again.

"Alright everybody if you see a small woman with pink hair and a white mask she is an ally and not an enemy. I repeat she is an ally and not an enemy."

 **Tony**

Tony first saw her after he flies a nuke into space and knows he's going to die. He thought he was hallucinating when pink flowers rapidly encircle him eventually forming a body. She lifted the mask that covered her face and gave him a saucy wink as she laid on top of his armor. It was not possible for her to be alive in space with no protection whatsoever, so he thought he was dead already, and then he's falling, and she faded away into a swirl of flowers once more.

Tony closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he's on Earth with the Avengers standing above him looking worried. The woman was still laying on his chest as she grinned at him.

"Who—" He began, but his words were cut off when she asked, "Did it hurt?"

"Wha—"

"When you fell from heaven?"

Tony blinked then snorted before he burst into full-fledged laughter. When he recovered, he suddenly wanted shawarma.

Post shawarma he invited the two of them to stay in his tower. Actually, he invited the whole team. She introduced herself as Sakura and told him, after a look at her companion that they were just passing through.

"You can at least stay the night before you move on. Unless you have somewhere else to stay?"

Sakura looked at her friend, her lover, or whoever the hell he was questioning. "Byakuya-sama?"

The man, who still hadn't said a word inclined his head and Sakura turned and smiled at him brilliantly. "We graciously accept your hospitality."

When they didn't leave two days later, Tony couldn't find it in himself to ask if they were staying because he was afraid they would go. He didn't care whether or not Byakuya stayed or moved on since the man never said anything to anyone besides Sakura. Sakura, on the other hand, was the bright spot in the Tower. She got along with everyone. He often saw her chattering away to Bruce, sparing with Steve and Natasha, watching television with Clint, and in his lab playing with his bots.

He was curious about her, and when curious he can't always mind his own business.

"Are you his lover?"

Sakura laughed. "Are you talking about Byakuya-sama and me?"

"Who else would I be talking about? What other man do you spend every waking minute with?"

"I don't spend every waking minute with him. I'm here with you now, aren't I?"

"Until he crooks his finger at you, yeah."

Sakura moved closer to him and leaned down to his ear and whispered, "You sound jealous, 天使."She pulled away slowly as she said, "Don't be."

It was easier said than done.

 **Natasha**

Natasha can recognize when a woman is under the control of a man-whether it be willingly or unwillingly. Sakura is a willing prisoner of Byakuya, and it makes her so angry that someone so powerful would bend to the will of a man who is unworthy of her.

Her fight with Sakura is vicious and cold. Sakura meets her brutality with cold and calm efficiency.

"You seem angry," Sakura remarked as she dodged a kick Natasha sent her way.

"I'm not." Natasha landed a blow to Sakura's stomach and then scowled. "Don't patronize me."

"Don't lie to me." She countered with a grin and then blocked Natasha's next hit.

Natasha stopped moving. "He doesn't care about you."

She tilted her head quizzically. "You mean Byakuya-sama? Of course, he cares for me. Otherwise, he would not have me at his side."

"He's using you. You're a tool to him."

"Yes," Sakura says nodding her head as if she's glad Natasha finally understands. And Natasha does.

"You consider yourself to be a weapon."

"I _am_ a weapon, and only Byakuya can wield me."

"You can wield yourself."

"Can I?" Sakura questioned and gave Natasha a mischievous smile, and Sakura knew then that she had secrets. She'd have to study the pair carefully. There was more to the couple than what lies on the surface.

She needed to know more before she had the chance to hurt Tony.

Byakuya

She slipped into his room quietly, but Byakuya knew she was there. He sat on the ground legs crossed meditating. He ignored her when she sat at his side. She didn't interrupt even though he knew she wanted to. When he was done, he opened his eyes and looked at her. Her eyes shone brilliantly, and the moonlight that spilled over her face gave her an unearthly look. He'd never admit that he liked it.

"Are you ready to move on?"

It was a question he asked her every night knowing what her answer to be.

"If you are ready, I am ready Byakuya-sama."

If he said it was time for them to go, to make their way back to the world they lost, Soul Society, she would ready herself without complaint, and they would leave. But she would be sad.

He remembered when he first made contact with his zanpakutō's spirit. No one that he knew of had a story similar to his so he didn't tell it often. Especially since he believed that he could do things with his zanpakutō that no one else could. In fact, he had only mentioned it once to someone he knew would never repeat it.

 _Hisana. His beloved deceased wife._

Upon trying to contact the spirit within his zanpakutō, he distinctly remembered seeing Sakura's body lying in a pool of blood knowing she was watching him even though her face was masked.

" _What do you want of me?"_ She had asked. He held out his hand to her and said, _"Come."_

" _And if I do not?" There was something off about the world. Something that filled him with dread even though he would never say it out loud. He wanted to leave the place, but he couldn't go without her. Not as she was._

" _Then you will die here."_ He paused looking around at the unfamiliar terrain. _"And so, perhaps, shall I."_

" _Oh?"_ Her voice grew faint _. "Give me one good reason why I should."_

Byakuya didn't know any good reasons to make a spirit want to live instead of dying so he said _, "Stay at my side, and I will give you purpose. I will give you a life to fight for."_

She was silent for a long time before she laughed and accepted his offer.

She told him later that she had not always been a spirit in a zanpakutō. Once she had lived the life of a warrior, but someone she loved killed her. He had presented a challenge to her that she had failed. Kill the woman that was at his side and take her place. She hadn't been able to do it, so he had killed her with a sword. Instead of completely dying her spirit had taken up residence in his sword, and she became a reluctant witness to all the vile things he did. It had driven her mad for a time.

After his death, many had tried to wield his sword, but Sakura, finding that she could now refuse to a wielder had rejected…and sometimes taken the lives of those who would have used her.

His was the first voice she had responded to. She had said she sensed a kindred spirit in him. He had disagreed. She hadn't cared.

She was his moral compass. He did not doubt that as long as he remained faithful, loyal, and honest that she would follow him everywhere. The second his Senbonsakura didn't support him then he would know that something was very wrong with him. He vowed silently to himself that if that ever happened, he would correct his behavior no matter what.

"Sleep, Senbonsakura."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama."

Sakura faded from sight and once more took up residence as his zanpakutō.

:::

It was Tony that figured it out first. Probably because aside from Byakuya, Sakura spent the most time with him.

Everyone knew that when in battle Byakuya fought with a sword. What Tony noticed was that the sword and Sakura were never seen together. He thought about Sakura's relationship with Byakuya ad how he treated her as little more than a tool.

Sakura, always protected Byakuya. It was like it was her first and foremost priority. Everything else came second. It would make sense if Sakura if she were his…

"You have on your thinking face." Sakura waltzed into his lab as if she had every right to be there. She sat on his workbench directly in front of him not caring if he were in the middle of something or not. "Tony!" She said when he didn't answer. Tony blinked and shook his head.

"You love him don't you?"

"It always comes down to Byakuya with you, doesn't it?" Tony didn't reply, and Sakura sighed. "Without him, I would not be here. Yes, I love him very much."

"You're his sword, aren't you? In some weird way, you're—"

"I go by the term zanpakutō."

"I don't…how can you…are you an alien?"

Sakura chuckled. "No. I'm a zanpakutō."

Tony rolled his eyes and jumped to his feet. "But if you love him—"

"天使!" Sakura shouted drawing his attention. "I am Byakuya's zanpakutō. I am his shield. But I can be your heart, and I can be your soul if you want me to."

"You'd die for him."

"But for you, 天使, I'd live."


End file.
